SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY GENERAL PLAN Volume I: Countywide General Plan

Transcription

1 SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY GENERAL PLAN 2010 : Countywide General Plan Adopted by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors July 29, 1992

2 SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY GENERAL PLAN 2010 This is of the San Joaquin County General Plan It contains goals, policies and implementation actions of the General Plan. The other portions of the General Plan, which are each separately bound, are: I, which contains individual policies and General Plan 2010 Maps for each community in the County; and II which contains the background reports on the various subjects addressed in the General Plan. The relationship of the Sections of to the State mandated General Plan Elements is shown in Figure I-2. Preface July 1992 i

3 I. INTRODUCTION

4 I.INTRODUCTION The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview to the General Plan -- what is it? Why is one prepared? Why is it important? This chapter also provides an understanding of how the Plan will affect future development and conservation efforts in the County. A. WHAT IS A GENERAL PLAN? Policy Document A General Plan expresses long-range public policy to guide the use of private and public lands within a community's boundaries. The San Joaquin County General Plan is the County's official position on development and resource management. Containing goals, objectives, policies, diagrams, and actions, it is a commitment to a course of action that will lead, through the years, toward a desirable physical, social, and economic environment for existing and future generations. All development, public and private, must be consistent with the Plan. Broad, Flexible Guidelines The General Plan provides broad guidelines for development in the County, rather than specific and detailed instructions. It is flexible and allows public and private investors appropriate discretion in making land use decisions, while at the same time assuring that public goals are realized. Comprehensive Perspective The General Plan addresses a wide range of issues that will affect San Joaquin County's desirability as a place to live and work: land use, economic development, housing, transportation, services, public safety, and environmental quality. The Plan provides a framework to consider these concerns in an integrated and coordinated fashion. Long-Range Vision The General Plan looks into the future - not 2 or 5 years but to the year The Plan describes a vision of the future, and objectives and policies to guide development in that direction. Without this perspective, development proposals may be approved one-by-one, in a piecemeal and uncoordinated fashion. Unified Coherent Program The goals, objectives, policies, and proposals in the Plan present a comprehensive, unified program for development. The assumptions and projections used in the County's General Plan for housing, for service demands, for traffic volumes, etc., are consistent. The Plan's coherent set of policies and Introduction July 1992 I-1

5 strategies enables citizens to better understand the visions of the Plan, and landowners, businesses, and industry to be more certain about the priorities and standards contained in the Plan and how they will be implemented. Countywide Plan The Plan addresses countywide issues but specifically has effect in the unincorporated areas; it is advisory within the County's seven cities: Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Ripon, Stockton, and Tracy. Figure I-1 identifies the 11 planning areas that are used for presenting data. B. WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PLAN? State planning law (Government Code Sections ) requires General Plans to address seven mandated subjects: land use, circulation, housing, open space, conservation, safety, and noise. Plans may contain other subjects if the community so chooses., Countywide Plan The San Joaquin County General Plan is organized into three separately bound volumes., the Countywide Plan, sets the overall direction for the County as a whole. It contains the following chapters: Chapters I-III describe the purpose and use of the General Plan; summarize key issues for which countywide policies have been formulated; and set forth the goals, underlying assumptions, and key plan strategies. Chapters IV-VI present specific objectives, policies, and implementation actions for Community Development, Public Health and Safety, and Resources. Figure I-2 shows the diverse subjects covered by these chapters. Chapter VII presents an Overall Implementation Program, which identifies methods of implementing the Plan and highlights new implementation actions called for in the Plan. Goals, objectives, policies, and implementation actions are presented for subjects in Chapters IV-VI. Goals. Statements of general aims of the County, toward which all effort is directed during the planning period. Objectives. More specific statements of the County's land use and development goals. Policies. Statements to be followed in the decision-making process, to assure the attainment of the County's stated goals and objectives. Implementation. Programs and actions to execute or carry out policy. Figure I-1 Introduction July 1992 I-2

6 Introduction July 1992 I-3

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8 I, Community Plans and II, Technical Appendices I, Community Plans, contains individual policies and General Plan 2010 Maps for each unincorporated community and for unincorporated areas along the fringe of incorporated cities. II, Technical Appendices, contains the various background reports on the subjects addressed by the Plan. C. WHO WILL USE THE PLAN? Government Officials and Staff The General Plan is to be used by elected and appointed County officials and staff on a daily basis in making decisions with direct or indirect land use implications. It is also to be used by officials and staff of other government agencies--federal, state, and local--and to provide a framework for interjurisdictional coordination of planning efforts. The Public County residents, property owners, and businesses are expected to be major users of the Plan. Members of these groups may choose to use the Plan for a particular geographic area or for a particular subject of interest to them. D. HOW IS THE PLAN CARRIED OUT? The San Joaquin County General Plan is the basis for a variety of regulatory mechanisms and administrative procedures. California planning law requires consistency between the General Plan and its implementation programs. Thus, there is a strong connection between a community's policies and its regulatory system, with the General Plan serving as the "constitution." Implementation measures of the Plan include zoning and subdivision ordinances, capital improvement programs, specific plans, environmental impact procedures, building and housing codes, and redevelopment plans. E. ONCE ADOPTED, CAN THE PLAN BE CHANGED? Requirement for Flexibility The General Plan should not be viewed as a final statement of the County's vision. Over time, the County's population will change, its goals will be redefined, and the physical environment in which its residents live and work will be altered. San Joaquin County will undergo change continuously; the Introduction July 1992 I-5

9 Plan simply represents a depiction at this particular point of how the planning policies apply to the future. In order for the Plan to be a useful document, it must be monitored and periodically revised to respond to and reflect changing conditions. Amendments State law permits the Plan to be amended up to four times in any calendar year, unless special conditions apply as defined by Government Code Sections 65358(c) and (d). Each amendment may contain more than one change to the Plan. Regular Updates The Plan should be reviewed and revised, as necessary, annually. A more comprehensive and thorough review and revision should be done every five (5) or ten (10) years. A comprehensive revision is necessary to recognize changing conditions, both internal and external to the County; the availability of more recent planning data; and shifts in community values. Introduction July 1992 I-6